1 - 7 November 2001
Issue No.558
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 1 - 7 November 2001 Issue No.558 |
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US faces Gulf static
Despite official support, the US-led war against Afghanistan has not been welcomed in oil-rich Gulf countries , writes Ayman Ali from Dubai
This week's telephone call from US President George W. Bush to Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz was meant to defuse the tense standoff between Riyadh and Washington, which developed as a result of recent media exchanges. Some American lawmakers publicly accused Saudi Arabia of not helping in the so-called "US- led campaign against terrorism." A pro- Israeli Congressman went further, accusing the Saudi government of failing to stop anti- American and anti-Israeli rhetoric appearing in local media and mosque sermons.
The first response was an official Saudi statement which proclaimed that "the vicious campaign being waged against the Kingdom in the Western media is nothing but the manifestation of a deep-rooted hatred directed against Islam and the Kingdom's adherence to the book of God and the Sunnah of his Prophet."
The White House was quick to react: "The president noted that he is very pleased with the Kingdom's contributions to the efforts," according to White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer. "He said that press articles citing differences between the United States and Saudi Arabia are simply incorrect," Fleischer added
British Prime Minister Tony Blair's promised visit to Riyadh will go ahead this week, after it was called off earlier in the month when he visited Muscat and Cairo. At the time, observers commented that Blair's failure to stop in Saudi indicated a strain in relations. However, informed Saudi sources later said the visit did not take place because the British premier only had three hours to meet his Saudi counterparts, and they felt that was not enough to hold fruitful talks.
A staunch backer of the US campaign, Blair will repeat his rhetoric about "true Islam" not being a target of the campaign against radicals like Bin Laden and the Taliban.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Endowment sent envoys to mosques, preachers and imams in Mecca to tell them not to repeat what they see or hear on satellite channels - a reference to Qatari TV station Al-Jazeera. The ministry also stressed that calling for Jihad is not a task that can be undertaken by just anybody: Holy War should be the order of the ruler.
None of this seemed to be enough for the American media. Commentators in leading newspapers called on the Saudis to arrest suspected followers or even sympathisers of Bin Laden. Saudis were also accused of being reluctant to follow suit in the economic campaign to cut the financial lifeblood of groups which the US consider to be terrorists. Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdel-Aziz responded defensively to the claims by saying "The Saudi people must be treated properly and not be indicted without solid evidence. We have asked for information and facts (from the Americans). The reply has not been up to the mark." He also defended Saudi businessman Yassin Qadi, whose name appeared on the American list of suspected financiers of terror whose assets needed to be frozen. "He is a businessman with a foundation." said the interior minister. "It has not come to our knowledge that this foundation has had any link with any terrorist quarter."
Meanwhile, many Americans are contrasting the Saudi stand on the financial side of the campaign with that of the Kingdom's neighbours, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where a team from the US Treasury Department, together with other US agencies, are assisting officials in finding and eliminating financial loopholes helping suspected terrorists.
A further twist has emerged on the financial side of things: it seems that some of America's promised economic incentives to Pakistan are supposed to originate in the Gulf. Pakistani Finance Minister Shawkat Aziz visited the UAE this week, after publicly stating that the current crisis is bound to cost the Pakistani economy more than $2 billion. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al- Faisal visited Islamabad last week to express his country's stand in backing President Pervez Musharaf's position, including the need for a new broad-based government in Afghanistan. Though financial help was not explicitly mentioned, it seems that the American requests are being reluctantly considered. Even Qatar is thought to have offered Islamabad a few hundred million dollars, according to informed Gulf sources.
Another American ally in the Gulf, Kuwait, is facing mounting pressure from within. The Kuwaiti government is in a difficult situation after officially declaring its support for the American war against Afghanistan. Following the declaration, half the members of Kuwait's 50-strong elected parliament urged the United States to end its military campaign against Afghanistan. Twenty-five members of the elected parliament issued a carefully worded statement after some MPs spoke out strongly against the US during a session last week. The statement called on the United States "to end this war and seek solutions which lead to the arrest of the perpetrator of this crime (on 11 September ) and bring him to justice in an honest and fair trial, guaranteeing full rights for all parties."
According to most Saudi commentators, the Saudi stand is not fully understood in the West. In reality, anti-American sentiment inside the country is far more pronounced among younger generations of Saudis. These young people are not necessarily influenced by Bin Laden. In their eyes, much of the decline in their country's wealth has been caused by the American presence since the Gulf war of the early 1990s. The kingdom's per capita income was just under $8,000 last year, down from $28,000 in the 1980s. Students now pay for accommodation in university hostels, which used to be free of charge.
However, the most pressing American need from its Gulf allies - especially from Saudi Arabia - seems to be more than just hiding anti-American sentiment. Beyond that, anti-Israeli feeling is on the rise and must be dealt with. The main concern for the American leadership, in its effort to keep the backing of its Arab and Muslim allies for military strikes on Afghanistan, must surely be to neutralise the Israeli aggression on Palestinians.
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